Biphasic Mesothelioma

Biphasic mesothelioma cases have perceived a growth in occurrence over the years. While biphasic cancer accounted for approximately 20 to 40 percent of all mesothelioma cases, making it the second most frequent type of mesothelioma, it has recently appeared in approximately 46 percent to 63 percent of all mesothelioma cases.
Biphasic Mesothelioma Cancer: A Mixture of Epithelioid and Sarcomatoid Cancer Cells
Unlike epithelioid mesothelioma and sarcomatoid mesothelioma, biphasic mesothelioma does not possess a unique cellular structure. Instead, biphasic mesothelioma cancer is a mixture of epithelioid mesothelioma and sarcomatoid mesothelioma cancer subtypes. The shape of epithelioid mesothelioma cancer cells is generally like a cube, but columnar and flattened cellular types are occasionally seen too. Meanwhile, the shape of sarcomatoid mesothelioma cancer cells is oval. Since patients with biphasic mesothelioma cancer possess two very dissimilar mesothelioma cell types associated with their illness, it will be an easier type of cancer to diagnose than either epithelioid or sarcomatoid (two cellular types that can be perplexed with an array of other cancers).
Normally, biphasic mesothelioma cancer yields a combination of both epithelial and sarcomatoid cells. These are typically arranged in groups within a tumor, rather than appearing as an even mixture of cells. In this sense, classifying a case of mesothelioma as biphasic is basically affirming that the patient possess both epithelioid and sarcomatoid mesothelioma. When epithelioid and sarcomatoid cancer cells are divided throughout various parts of the tumor, it can lead to a misdiagnosis of the mesothelioma’s subtype. For this reason, during diagnosis several samples are taken from different locations within a tumor using a biopsy. This helps to ensure that a correct diagnosis can be made, as this form of asbestos cancer does not have a unique cellular structure.
Evaluation of Biphasic Mesothelioma Cancer Tumors
Histopathological examination of a section of the tumor (examination of the tissue) may reveal only epithelioid or only sarcomatoid cancer cells. By taking multiple sections of diseased tissue for examination, histopathologists are more likely to be able to recognize a case of biphasic mesothelioma cancer. (Histopathological advancements could be one possible explanation for the rise in biphasic mesothelioma cancer cases.) Misdiagnosis of a mesothelioma subtype is not a problem because there is no difference between the three.